On Thursday, the former two-time state high school champion from Belen, fired the tournament’s low round of 1-over-par 73, which was enough for a lopsided come-from-behind win in the 71st annual Albuquerque Women’s Golf Championship.

Jaramillo had a 14-over 230 in the 54-hole event at Santa Ana Golf Club, while two-time champion Glynnis Price – who led after each of the first two rounds – was eight shots back in second after closing with an 84. Recent La Cueva graduate Alex Darwin shot a final-round 76 to tie former Bernalillo High golfer Shannelle Tafoya for third at 239.

“I just tried to play consistent and not let anything bother me,” said Jaramillo, a rising junior at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. “I didn’t really feel any pressure to win. I just wanted to play to keep in tournament-mode.”

Tournament-mode is something Jaramillo knows a lot about – from the inside and out.

Besides playing for Saint Francis, she is organizing a tournament at Belen’s Tierra del Sol Golf Club. The event, the second annual Mario Martinez Memorial Scholarship Fund Tournament, is July 26. It is a benefit for the New Mexico Activities Association, where the late Martinez was associate director.

“It takes a lot of time to organize, but I enjoy it,” Jaramillo said. “I have to go to the community to keep trying to get sponsorships or donations for prizes, and obviously get the players to come out, as well. It means a lot to me. It keeps me busy, but it’s something I enjoy doing.”

Jaramillo has been plenty busy since her spring semester ended. The accounting major took three college courses online from May 10 to June 27.

That didn’t leave a lot of time for golf, and Jaramillo showed some rust during the first two rounds when she shot 79-78 and trailed Price by three shots heading into Thursday.

That deficit dissipated quickly when Price’s game crumbled.

“I felt uncomfortable on every shot,” said Price, who said she was having the same problem Wednesday when she shot 79. “I snap-hooked it into the bushes on the second hole and had to take an unplayable. Then I had a chunk, and everything the rest of the day was either, I think, chunked, pull-hooked or pushed out. When I did hit it dead straight, it was because I probably aimed 30 yards straight at the bushes, because I thought I was going to hook it.”

Price had a 9-over-45 on the front nine, while Jaramillo shot a par 36. It never was close after that.

“Taylar played amazing,” Price said. “She was throwing darts all day. She played great golf, and I was rooting her on. She could have easily shot under par. She had so many birdie attempts.”

Darwin, whose older sister Paige has been a contender the past few years, said her solid round was because, “I knew I was too far back to win, so I was just focused on playing stress-free golf. I kept it low-key. For me, it’s all mental. When I relax, I play much better.”

Darwin was runner-up in the Class 5A state high school tournament in May and will play for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in the fall.

Sister Paige, a rising senior at New Mexico State, is working an internship in Seattle and couldn’t make this year’s tournament.

Recent Bosque School graduate Sarah Greene was fifth at 240, while Ryoko Terada – who made it to the 1993 championship match when the format was match play and was four shots back in third after the second round – had an 83 and was sixth at 241.

NOTES: Vicki Garcia, who is 38 weeks pregnant, finished 11th in the 12-player flight “but I made it through,” she said with an ear-to-ear grin. “It was a lot of fun.”

… Anyone interested in playing in Jaramillo’s tournament, can contact her at 505-999-6163.

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